Return to the Underground
by Lorelei-Liddy
Summary: Jareth returns to the Underground to report on how Sarah Williams faired in her quest on the Labyrinth. Once there we learn that things are not always as simple as they appear
1. Coming to an Understanding

Part One - Coming to an Understanding  
  
("You have no power over me!")  
  
The game had been played. The child had been returned home safely and the girl - the girl was celebrating her victory over the goblin king. The owl took a final glance through the window that separated him from the revelry inside. His features were impassive but had he been in his human form the triumph that he felt would have been clearly stamped over his face.  
  
She had made her way through the Labyrinth. She had stumbled and almost fallen and yet she had succeeded. Throughout her journey she had displayed bravery, sincerity and a strong affinity for the creatures that surrounded her. No creature was beyond her sympathy and it seemed that they flocked to her in their eagerness to betray their master and creator. In her own mind the girl had won and banished the evil goblin king but he did not feel defeat.  
  
She had declared her independence with the words, despite his best efforts, and in the morning would probably go on to pack away the remnants of her childhood. The stuffed toys would be passed on to the safekeeping of her brother, her treasures would be safely placed away from prying eyes into boxes that would only get opened when she was feeling particularly wistful and the fairytales...  
  
Those fantastic stories that had shaped her childhood and her expectations of life, the evil stepmothers and worlds where there was always a handsome prince to rescue the fair maiden. Would she still believe in them now that she had encountered the Labyrinth and experienced her own fairytale?  
  
Or would the words ensure that that realm of fantasy would be forever lost to the girl? At the moment she was too exultant to spare a thought to these lost dreams, though her observer had not been so neglectful.  
  
Reaching his destination the owl swooped down and settled upon a lone tree in a clearing on the outskirts of town. The wind ruffled his soft down and the movement rippled through the entire length of the bird as the creature quickly distorted and stretched, shifting into human form. 


	2. She

Part Two - She  
  
Jareth looked out across the clearing, the intent and piercing look in his eyes reminiscent of the owl he had been. It seemed that the time had come, the wheels had been set in motion and no good would come of attempting to ignore the inevitable. A small, round crystal appeared in his hand and, as he began to spin it gently around in his palm, the image of a petite, dark haired woman appeared within the fragile glass. The woman was dressed formally in a room of palace like proportions, which only appeared to contribute to her apparent fragility as she was dwarfed by her surroundings. She was enclosed by a large number of individuals, all of whom appeared to be competing for her attention, whilst none actually achieved it. Within seconds she was distracted from the jostling that continued to occur around her as she became aware that she was being observed. With a wave of her hand she was left alone as everyone disappeared.  
  
"And so what news do you have for me Jareth?" As she spoke the woman slowly eased off the velvet gloves that had covered the hands that had so effectively dismissed her audience. Considering their display of power they were small, and their look of delicacy was added to by their alabaster appearance.  
  
"It is completed. The girl wished for the Goblin King to take away the child and so of course he was happy to oblige." an ironic grin appeared upon his handsome features.  
  
"And the result ..?" With her hands now bare the woman rose and walked over to a stone basin that stood in the centre of the room.  
  
"She is ready."  
  
"There can be no room for error Jareth. There must be no mistake - You are certain?"  
  
Jareth watched as the woman dipped her hands into the stone basin and washed away the clamminess that was the result of their prolonged enclosure. She then took hold of the small towel that had been placed beside the basin in order to pat them down.  
  
"She is her mother's daughter." His words were softly spoken and produced a wry smile from the woman at the basin. She replaced her gloves and slowly smoothed out the wrinkles before answering.  
  
"I suppose she must be. Try to remember that," the woman looked down. Once again her hands were safely encased in the soft velvet and she gave a flick of her wrist that immediately returned her attendants to the room and their former positions.  
  
Jareth smirked in distaste as he watched the attendants endeavour to capture the attention of the woman. Understanding that he was being dismissed Jareth began to lower the crystal.  
  
"Oh and Jareth," this was spoken casually as though an afterthought to the conversation, "Take off that ridiculous get up before you return to court." Jareth started as he wondered how the woman was able to see him without her own crystal and then shrugged as he conceded her point. Jareth looked down at the feathered white jacket that had consisted of the girl's final fantasy of the Goblin King Jareth smiled, his eyes twinkling in the darkness.  
  
"Of course, your majesty." He lightly tossed the crystal into the air and watched as it soared off into the distance, giving the impression to any spectator of a shooting star. 


	3. The Queen of the Underground

Part Three - The Queen of the Underground  
  
("I have turned the world upside down .and I have done it all for you")  
  
Talia sat in the stateroom as she waited for one of her more favoured courtiers to return to the palace. Small diamonds sparkled in her hair and she was dressed in a dress of deep crimson. Her maid had told her that she looked beautiful when she had dressed an hour earlier but Talia knew that slowly the years were beginning to show on her face. The skin was not quite as firm as it once had been and there was an increasing number of tiny lines scattered around her eyes and mouth that were refusing to be covered by the fine white powder that gave her skin it's alabaster glow. Slowly it was beginning to dawn on her that unlike those that surrounded her she was not immortal and ultimately would one day wake up and be unable to deny the fact that she had grown old.  
  
It was a thought that filled her with fear and trepidation. She was Queen of the Underground, as far as she knew no one could surpass her magics. She was known throughout the Kingdom, and her subjects were in agreement that she should be both admired and feared for what she had managed to achieve for them since entering their world, and yet even the lowliest serf in the kingdom had what she did not, forever.  
  
It had been three days since she had sent him above ground to watch over the girl, Sarah Williams. Three days in which she had had to smile and laugh as the simpering fools that made up the court attempted to regale her with stories about their various conquests. They spoke of battles and treasures that they had won in her name and she beamed with pleasure and caressed their shoulders, making them feel loved, admired. She accepted their gifts and consoled those that failed their quests.  
  
She deceived them all into believing that they were making some headway with their queen and her favours, for surely whilst she smiled and caressed everyone her glance and hand lingered slightly when she addressed them. It was all politics however and their stories were soon forgotten as she sat and wondered what was going on in the Labyrinth at that moment and considered when Jareth would return to give her the details that she so desperately needed to hear.  
  
"Your majesty, Lord Jareth approaches the palace and requests an audience." Talia lifted her head in recognition of the messenger who hovered near the doorway of the stateroom and absentmindedly waved him away. She knew that Jareth would dispense with the formality of being sent for and sneer at any person who attempted to bar his entry. His 'request' was a mere acknowledgement of her position as his apparent superior, and she conceded that despite appearances she had in recent months become more and more dependant upon his support in various matters of state.  
  
If appearances were to be believed she remained the all powerful monarch that the kingdom had accepted her as, with only a select few knowing the truth. Jareth was one of these select few however and it was this knowledge that gave him the assurance that he would not be turned away from her door.  
  
As she heard a slight commotion further along the corridor her expression darkened. He may be assured entry but the time had passed where she could guarantee his safety, especially if he persisted with his present behaviour. Talia had already heard too many jealousies spoken by the Lord's rival courtiers and knew that it would not take much for the other gentleman of her court to begin to conspire against her favourite. 


	4. To Rule and be Ruled

Part Four - To Rule and be Ruled  
  
As she had predicted, she soon saw Jareth striding along the corridor through the open doorway, the heels of his riding boots clicking sharply on the marble floor. As she shooed away her attendant and closed the door Talia raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You take many liberties Lord Jareth. Is there a particular reason you have so presumptuously decided to dispense with the services of my attendants?" her voice echoed icily in the bare room but made little impact on the approaching lord.  
  
"My apologies you majesty, please forgive my assumption," his tone lacked sincerity and his eyes met hers with a slight challenge, "If you would prefer I could retrieve your attendants and any other audience you should like to summon before I give you my report."  
  
Jareth stood arrogantly before Talia and she noticed that despite her instructions to him he was still wearing his 'Goblin King' attire. Blonde hair now framed his face in uneven feathers and his legs were encased in trousers so tight as to be indecent. She sighed and wondered if she had made a mistake in entrusting so much power to this man who seemed determined to defy her at every turn.  
  
At one time it had been what attracted her to him. He had always possessed the wild quality of a man who, unlike the others, did not seem to care that she had the power to destroy him on a whim. He had never attempted to fawn over her or pay her ridiculously embellished compliments. He challenged her every decision and thought nothing about going against her orders if the mood took him. It had been refreshing after so many years of having every whim pandered to. She had attempted for years to tame him like her other courtiers, unable to resist the challenge, and yet he remained as he was - unconcerned that for all effects and purposes the he had won the heart of the Queen of the Underground.  
  
Of course she would never say the words, or even acknowledge him officially to her other courtiers, but still Talia was aware that at times her passion for this creature verged on the ridiculous. She was the ruler of the kingdom and yet he had her at his beck and call. And, in particular recently, she had simply begun to grow too tired to pull him up on these petty challenges on her authority that he persisted in. She no longer seemed to have the energy to play the game as it had always been played between the two of them over the last thirteen years and she worried that because of this, ultimately, he would win. She would end up handing over to him everything that she had fought so hard for. The fight was not over yet though, no matter how confidant her treacherous love may be of the outcome Talia knew that she had not yet played her final hand.  
  
"Proceed."  
  
Jareth's eyes flared briefly at her abrupt tone.  
  
"The girl travelled through the labyrinth and was able to win back the child. She met her fears and desires and yet conquered them." His tone clearly indicated that if Talia wanted the details she would need to ask.  
  
"Is it time?" Talia already knew that Sarah had been able to successfully solve the Labyrinth, she was more concerned with what was to follow.  
  
"As I understand it she is ready. I offered her her dreams and she refused them. The girl is no longer a child. The only problem I foresee is persuading her of where the future lies - you have taken a dangerous chance .." Jareth's voice dropped off, this was an argument that had taken place before. It would do no good to repeat his misgivings.  
  
"It was a risk that needed to be taken. The girl needed to realise that the Labyrinth was not the fairy tale fantasy that she envisioned. It is not some Utopian realm that she can escape reality from, ultimately it will become the only reality she will know and we could take no risks over any misillusions she may have. She needed to realise that before we could proceed."  
  
(It's not fair!)  
  
"And yet you still expect her to return."  
  
"She won't be able to prevent herself, I've taken care of that.." Jareth looked towards Talia and he nodded slightly.  
  
It had never been spoken between them but he had realised that here had been an ulterior motive in the Queen's choice of Goblin King. Though she had never spoken of it Talia was certain that, just like her, Sarah Williams would be unable to resist the charms of the creature that stood before her. The only thing that remained to be seen was how Jareth himself had reacted to the girl.  
  
It had been a chance that Talia had had to take. She was a Queen not a woman, and sometimes sacrifices had to be made. 


	5. A Return to Sarah

Part Five - A Return to Sarah  
  
("What's the matter my dear, don't you like your toys?.")  
  
Sarah sat in her room as she listened to her father and Karen getting ready for the treat that they had planned for Toby. As it was a weekend, and neither of them had been called into work, they intending on spending some 'quality' time with their son down at the local zoo.  
  
"Sarah are you sure we can't change your mind?" Karen peered her head around the corner of the door and looked about with the interest of one who knows that she does not have an open invitation within this domain.  
  
Sarah smiled and shook her head. Though she didn't necessarily mind spending her weekend going out with her family, the prospect of having to spend all day watching animals pacing the small enclosures that surrounded them did not exactly appeal. Vaguely she recalled a time when she was very young and had went on a school excursion to an animal shelter, her teacher had been forced to ring home to arrange for Sarah to be picked up and she had a faint memory of the disappointed look on her mother's face as she entered the reception area where a member of staff had been keeping an eye on the distraught child.  
  
It was one of the last memories that Sarah actually had of spending time with her mother. Soon after the freedom of her child attending school had enabled her to spend more and more time away from the home. And then finally she just wasn't there anymore, and it was her father and not her mother who tucked Sarah in at night and read to her until she was too sleepy to protest as he turned the light out and shut the door.  
  
"No I'm fine, honest."  
  
Karen hovered uncertainly and Sarah wondered for a moment whether she was going to attempt to persuade her stepdaughter but instead she merely shrugged and backed away, leaving Sarah to the privacy that she valued so much.  
  
Part of Sarah wanted Karen to have pleaded with her to come along, to suggest that the outing would not be the same without her. She knew however that that was not the case. Her father, Karen and Toby were this comfortable family unit that Sarah did not seem to be able to fit into. When her father had first married Karen Sarah had tried, at sixteen though she was too old to be spoiled by her new stepmother and too young to move out or be left to her own devices.  
  
It would have been all too easy for Sarah to cast Karen in the role of the wicked stepmother and take up the mantle of the poorly done by first child but it simply was not the case, no matter how hard Sarah attempted to justify this viewpoint. Karen went out of her way to try and make Sarah feel wanted within the house, but the truth of the matter was that increasingly she was counting off the days, months, and she guessed that realistically years, until she would be able to live independently. Away from the small family who simply did not seem to need or have a place for her anymore, apart from the occasional evening when someone was needed to take care of Toby whilst the couple went out.  
  
Below Sarah heard the front door close firmly and listened as a car door slammed shut. They would probably be away for the majority of the day, so long as Toby did not fall ill, which meant that she would have several hours to try and pass the time and not think of the events of the last couple of days. 


	6. An End to Childhood

Part Six - An End to Childhood  
  
The morning after her return from the Labyrinth Sarah had packed away the remaining objects scattered around her room. Though many of her toys she had given to Karen to pass on to Toby, there had been a select few that she had decided to hold onto in a keepsake box above her wardrobe. There toys such as Betsyboo, Little Horsey and Flopsy were snuggled together below more commonplace items that Sarah had decided to put there merely because it seemed such a waste to throw them away.  
  
There had been various shades of orange and pink lipsticks that had been barely worn, but now appeared so childish in colour. Sarah was thinking of speaking to Karen about going on a shopping trip together but had delayed asking her when she had heard about the planned excursion to the zoo.  
  
Finally her room had been a blank canvas, ready to be injected with some form of personality, an idea of who the girl was who had been able to complete the Labyrinth and defeat the Goblin King. The problem was that with all the excitement of that day Sarah felt as though she had lost herself within the maze, and at the moment was bereft of a personality to inject into the room. It almost felt as though in leaving the labyrinth Sarah had also left behind a part of herself. A part that even now was wandering helplessly within the twisting corridors, being stalked by the creatures that populated their dark recesses and the man that inhabited that darkness so well - the Goblin King. Sarah felt different somehow, as though her encounter had changed an integral part of her and yet she was uncertain as to why. She had spoken the words and the relief had been so intense as to verge on the hysterical, it had meant an escape and she had fled.  
  
As the Labyrinth faded Sarah had realised not only had she escaped the grasp of the Goblin King but she also wouldn't have to face her father and explain where his only son was.  
  
She wouldn't have to confess that in a moment of weakness she had wished Toby away, and for those few moments had truly meant it. It was only then that Sarah had realised that part of her had always expected to fail the challenge of the Labyrinth. She had always expected to have to return home and explain herself to Karen and her father. Perhaps the Goblin King therefore had been justified in taking Toby, for even if it had been only for a second she had never wanted to see him again, ever. If she was completely honest with herself even though she regretted her words she still believed that it had only been the explanation of his disappearance that she had dreaded really, rather than the prospect of loosing her brother. Whilst in the Labyrinth it had been so easy to forget about the brother that she hadn't even asked for and become preoccupied with her own problems and desires.  
  
For mere moments it had seemed to her that if there were no Toby then things could go back to the way that they were. Her father would be able to spend more time with her and actually be interested in what she had to say. She would once again receive the letters and parcels that her mother had regularly sent her, at least she had until Karen had had Toby. Now at best, the reminders that she did still have a mother out there, somewhere, were infrequent.  
  
The last parcel that she had received from her mother had contained the music box with the dark haired figurine that danced to some tinkling music that Sarah found familiar but was unable to name. The features were so fine that if you looked really closely you could see the fine lines around the eyes and mouth that formed the serene expression the figurine held. As soon as she opened the parcel she had loved the present instantly and used to wake in the middle of the night just to wind the music box up and watch as the figure spun gracefully around.  
  
It didn't matter to her that, like the last, this parcel had contained no note from her mother or that the parcel had been two weeks late for her birthday. It was proof that her mother still loved her, just as Karen loved Toby. And that even though they could not be together Sarah was in her thoughts.  
  
Always. 


	7. The King of Fools

Part Seven - The King of Fools  
  
("I have been generous up until now - but I can be cruel.")  
  
He walked across the room with the grace of someone who knows that many eyes are watching. Those that vied for his attention were left disappointed as he moved determinedly towards the focus of his uneven stare.  
  
"Your majesty."  
  
Talia looked towards Jareth and gave a slight tilt of her head. Although her paleness was common to her appearance she had been unable to hide the tiredness behind her eyes when she had dressed earlier that morning. As a result she was aware of the haggardness of her appearance and was feeling slightly out of humour.  
  
"Lord Jareth, your purpose?"  
  
"I come to beg your leave; I am called ..." she quickly cut him off.  
  
"You are required in court." Even had the timing not been so poor she was reluctant to allow Jareth to go gallivanting throughout the Underground. Especially after she had heard reports from the Labyrinth of his interest in the girl, Sarah Williams.  
  
"I appreciate that Your majesty, however."  
  
Talia noticed that their exchange was drawing the notice of those around them and sighed inwardly. This was not an exchange that she wanted to have today and yet it appeared to be one that Jareth refused to let pass.  
  
"Lord Jareth you have been called to court and therefore must fulfil your obligations here before you will be allowed to leave the palace." Talia's tone was icy and left no room for argument. It appeared however that either Jareth had not noticed this subtle change in tone, or was disinclined to act upon it.  
  
"Unfortunately my obligations outside the palace.." Talia and Jareth were now face to face and centre of attention in the busy receiving room of the palace. Talia looked intently at the handsome man who stood so close to her and purposely tilted the corner of her lip into a dismissive sneer. To her onlookers it appeared as though she had weighed up the impertinent Lord and found him lacking.  
  
"Obligations outside the palace? Are you forgetting who you are Jareth of Trindlestook? Who you are speaking to? Do not believe that because I have allowed you a variety of freedoms within the kingdom that you may dare to call into question what I deem will be. For all intents and purposes you act upon my word, at MY convenience, when I require it of you. If you are in any way unhappy with this arrangement that I am quite happy for you to return where you came from," Jareth winced slightly at this enforced memory, "You ARE what I have made you. You HAVE what I created for you. You may fool yourself whilst you are tripping along your fantastical land of Labyrinth and Goblin City that YOU are 'King' of all you purvey but know the truth, you are truly 'King of Fools'. Just as with these hands I created all that you possess so to can it be destroyed, and so easily. Do not mistake me Lord Jareth I WILL not succumb to your petulant demands. Know your place." Her final words echoed in the silent room and all eyes looked towards the subject of such harsh words to see how he would react to so public a dressing down.  
  
Jareth stood looking at the Queen of the Underground and for minutes neither moved. As the silence became uneasy and mutterings could be heard from their audience Jareth threw his head back and laughed.  
  
"Well spoken, your majesty. And who am I to argue to one so well placed within the court?" he leaned in and winked at Talia, "Indeed who am I?" Spinning round he dared the onlookers to meet his gaze before moving away from the Queen and making his way back across the room. As he approached the entry he turned and called out his parting shot.  
  
"Should you need me I shall be happy to 'oblige' you from my quarters. However I anticipate being rather busy .." The court gasped from so open an allegation of their Queen's private relations and Talia shook with rage.  
  
Following his comment Jareth made the mistake of pausing in the doorway to view the effect of his words and those few seconds were all that Talia needed.  
  
As though anticipating her reaction a passage had been cleared between the arguing pair and so when snapping ball of energy hurtled towards the lord no innocent bystander was injured. The ball hit Jareth square on his chest and he immediately dropped unconscious to the floor. Without looking at the fallen body or checking that her aim had been true Talia left the room and a hundred spectators, all with conflicting opinions as to what should be done with the King of Fools. 


	8. Afterglow

Part 8 - Afterglow  
  
Jareth shifted slightly as the icy cold from the bare stone floor that he was lying on slowly seeped through the layers of clothing that he was wearing. In the distance he could hear the muted noise of music that suggested that the entertainments had began in the grand hall and that the courtiers had began the prolonged dances; which would continue well into the night. That at least gave him some indication as to the time and as far as he could ascertain he was still within the walls of the palace .  
  
In the darkness of the bare room Jareth's mouth shifted slightly as he forced his muscles to form a slight smirk. The old girl was growing soft. If the truth be known he had been deliberately pushing for a response. Perhaps it was even a relief to find himself lying in, what he would assume, was a locked cell - suffering from the after effects of her temper.  
  
Though Jareth was curious to discover if there was a means of escape, he was not quite so sure as to his ability to raise himself from the floor. The full length of his body ached and there remained a slight 'tingle' from the surge of energy that had rushed through him and then quite literally knocked him off his feet.  
  
It had been a sensation that had been slightly reminiscent of a far more pleasurable activity and Jareth felt completely spent. His entire length screamed in protest when his muscles shifted but there remained a contented lethargy to his condition that forced Jareth to wonder if the Queen of the Underground treated all of her enemies to that particular side to her temper or if it had been an energy force conjured specifically for him.  
  
Jareth focussed on the red clouds that hovered in front of his closed eyes and forced them aside. He then gathered his energy and parted his eyelids. The room remained dark. In the distance he could make out a vaguely grey shadow that gave the suggestion of light but had no sense of distance that would indicate to him how large the room was or where this light originated from.  
  
Jareth lay still for several moments as he waited for his vision to settle and slowly lifted his right arm. In the dark he was unable to make out the shape of it as he raised the hand in front of his face and it was only when he held his hand steady, right in front of his eyes, that he was able to make out a slight indication of shape and shadow that provided the evidence that his hand had actually moved and was not still pinned to the ground by his hip.  
  
Jareth remained still for a moment as he registered these facts. Without moving his hand from before his faced he closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again. Interesting, there had been no change.  
  
The cold continued to seep through his body and Jareth wondered if there was a chair or cot in the room that would lift him away from the cold of the floor. Instinctively he knew that his crystals would have been removed from his person and so he would be unable to use any magic to aid his situation. The best that he could hope for was that when the politics of the court was over and the dancers had retired Talia would come to see him. Perhaps this was all part of a plan to see him grovel, he hoped not. It seemed beneath her somehow. When she came that would be the time to wonder about to what purpose it served to have him incapable of seeing his surroundings - or anything else for that matter. 


	9. Alienated

Part Nine - Alienated  
  
Sarah had been lying in her bed for the past two hours. She was trying to go to sleep but the muffled mumbles of downstairs had proved to be distracting enough to prevent her from achieving the solace that her dreams offered her.  
  
Karen and her father had returned home with Toby a few hours earlier, flushed with the success of their outing. They had brought with them shiny plastic mementos of the day; that Toby had waved in front of her triumphantly before throwing down into a corner and demanding some food.  
  
The bare walls of her room appeared alien to her and Sarah closed out their blankness by tightly closing her eyes. She snuggled into the warmth of her blankets and slowed her breathing. Her eyes relaxed and her body seemed to seep into her mattress as the tension of the day left her. It was just as she was drifting off into a realm of fantasy and desire that the image of the face appeared in front of her closed eyes.  
  
"Please, not now." She looked into the uneven expression of the features that stared back at her and wondered why it seemed that she was unable to forget that face. Why was it that every time she closed her eyes she saw the expression that he had held on his face as he realised that she was about to speak the words?  
  
The Goblin King. And yet how was it that he himself had not been a goblin? Why was it that when he had appeared to her he had been long and lean and . dare she say it - handsome?  
  
When she had first read the small leather bound book that her mother had sent her Sarah was sure that she had pictured the Goblin King very differently. When had her perceptions changed?  
  
The murmurs of below continued and Sarah abruptly turned over and clutched her pillow to her ear. They always seemed to have so much to discuss - so much to talk about. There was never silence. There was no stillness. Everything was so harsh and moved so swiftly. There were always questions that needed to be answered. Doubts that needed to be addressed. Reassurances to be made that things were "fine".  
  
They weren't though. Sarah knew that now. It wasn't fine, possibly it never had been and Sarah had just been hiding from this fact by immersing herself in fantasy. The only problem was that now reality had asserted itself and there was no going back.  
  
The face remained. Every time Sarah closed her eyes it peered at her accusingly. He had been right. Had he not offered her everything that she had asked for? Everything that she had though she had needed?  
  
The problem had been that until this moment Sarah had not realised just what the true extent of her desires had been. Slowly however it was becoming clear to her.  
  
She had fooled herself into believing that her triumphant return had signalled a fresh start. She had truly believed that it would make things brighter, clearer and yet she still felt detached. Her family were still not hers, Sarah clung to the hope that one day her mother would return and finally be reunited with the small child she had abandoned so many years before. But as the face stared at her mockingly Sarah realised that these were dreams that would never be achieved. She felt empty.  
  
The eyes continued to stare at her. They seared into her very soul. They had offered her dreams. But dreams were unachievable, they remained what they were for the very fact that they were vague wisps of hope that hovered over the horizon and yet always appeared to retreat as you approached them. They could not become reality so what had it been that those eyes had offered.  
  
"Your future" 


	10. The Arrival

Part Ten - The Arrival  
  
Sarah's eyes sprung open as she realised that the voice had come from the far corner of the room. The melodic tone had been little more than a whisper but it betrayed the figure who had stood so silently observing the young girl as she had tossed and turned in her bed.  
  
Before going to bed Sarah had failed to draw the curtains of the room and so the faint glow of the streetlight below succeeded in casting the small figure in enough light to reveal her perfectly formed features and slight tilt top her mouth.  
  
Sarah stared at the figure and watched as the light of the room appeared to draw itself around the figure until she could clearly make out her appearance.  
  
"Hello Sarah." The husky tones of the stranger's voice stirred a faint memory but Sarah was unable to respond to this greeting. She looked about the room and wondered what other creatures had managed to slip in unnoticed whilst she had been so preoccupied with her thoughts.  
  
"Please, don't be worried. We are alone." As she drew closer the woman's expression was all kindness and Sarah felt a deep knot begin to raise from the pit of her stomach to her throat. The knot contained the anxiety of an abandoned child who wondered what she had done, the pain of various birthday's filled with hope and the love of a child who had never forgotten.  
  
The room was filed with silence as Sarah struggled to give a voice to her feelings.  
  
"You're not real." The face was the same face that she remembered from all those years ago. It was as though time had stood still for this fantasy figure that now stood before her and it was this that finally convinced Sarah that once again the boundaries of reality and fantasy had slipped away.  
  
"You do not truly believe that Sarah" The figure continued it's slow approach to the bed.  
  
"It's a trick - he sent you." Sarah sat up in the bed and clutched at her covers. The tears were forming in her eyes and as the conversation continued the hope was beginning to build in her heart.  
  
"He? Who would have the power to send me anywhere?" amusement tinged the tone of the voice as the figure came to a halt in front of Sarah.  
  
"The Goblin King." Sarah's tone faltered as she looked into the eyes of the woman that stood before her and saw through to the truth.  
  
"I am Talia. Queen of the Underground. I live there with my subjects where I rule over all I survey. There is no one to tell me what to say or do or where to be. In the Underground I have no one to love and no one who loves me, but now I am here now and all has changed. I do not rule here, I cannot. There are people who will try to tell me what I think and how I should behave. There are those who will make demands of me and try to keep me from those that I love. Here I am no Queen." The woman sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to touch Sarah's hand.  
  
"Here I am nothing and yet I am more." The hands that were held out towards her were covered. The shape of the fingers slightly elongated by the cut and style of the gloves that concealed the hands beneath. Slowly the material touched Sarah's own bare hand and gently caressed the length of it.  
  
"Here I am a mother." 


	11. Choices

Part Eleven - Choices  
  
The dampness of the pillow was clammy against Sarah's cheek, she was exhausted and yet could not seem to prevent the tears that continued to flow. The woman, her mother had gone. She had held Sarah's hand and she had spoken to Sarah about a kingdom where she alone ruled. She had talked about the magic that ruled that kingdom and how she had been called upon to harness the power of this magic.  
  
The woman had spoken of love, her love for her kingdom, her love for her daughter and how she had been forced into making a choice.. and for the hour she had spoken Sarah had said nothing.  
  
The tears had begun shortly before she had left. Sarah's eyes had filled with the evidence of her hurt, happiness, confusion.. and yet the woman had not responded to those tears. She had not asked their origin or placed her arms around Sarah. She had merely continued to hold her hand and talk about the place that she called home. It was a world that she now wanted Sarah to come and visit, the Underground.  
  
When she spoke the name her eyes had had filled with a fire of both passion and possession. The Underworld - Where dreams are possibility. The Underworld - A world where her mother ruled and where Sarah herself could obtain more power than she would have believed possible. The Underworld - A land away from the family that struggled to lay claim to her and where she constantly struggled to belong. And perhaps most importantly the place that Jared called home.  
  
The woman had spoken his name and Sarah had started, uncertain of the emotions that crushed together within her chest at the mere mention of that strange being who had challenged her within the Labyrinth. She had not revealed to her mother the heaviness that was a direct response to his name or how part of her longed to see him again.  
  
The woman had just continued to hold her hand. No not the woman, her mother. And her mother's hands had been strangely alien, encased as they were in the fabric that created a barrier between the mother and daughter. Sarah thought about the meeting that she had so longed for. It had been the coming together of a mother and daughter who had not seen each other in so many years, and yet merely held hands.  
  
Whilst Sarah had sobbed her mother had displayed no response, and as the crying had continued she had walked over to the music box that Sarah had been unable to pack away with the rest of her childhood memories.  
  
"I don't have much time Sarah. I can feel the land calling out to me and must go. Think about what I have spoken of tonight. It is only you who can make the decision for as I have said in this realm I have no power only desire. When and if you decide to come to me the music box will act as your key. It will bring you within the walls of my palace and we can be together."  
  
The stinging of her eyes continued but Sarah blinked away the salty evidence of her confusion. She had listened to everything that her mother had said to her, yet had not heard the words that she so desired to hear. Karen and her father had retired to their room hours ago and the house was completely still. Wiping her face with the sleeve of her nightdress Sarah made her way to her father's room.  
  
Toby's cot was where it had always been at the foot of the bed and Sarah looked down into the sleeping features of the young brother that she had wished away. She did love him, just as she loved both Karen and her father. It was a love that sometimes she lost track of but, even if she occasionally forgot, Sarah knew that she would never stop loving them.  
  
Her father had been so hurt when his first wife had left. He had aged overnight. In the time before he had met Karen Sarah had used to listen for his return from work in her bedroom. Every evening when he returned home from work he would walk up the stairs to Sarah's room to read her her bedtime story and then kiss his daughter goodnight.  
  
Eventually Sarah had noticed how increasingly she had had to wait much longer for these stories. She heard her father's step on the stairs later and later each evening, until finally one evening she had been unable to keep her eyes open in order to wait for his return and had missed him. From that moment the nightly ritual had changed, had become less regimented, and Sarah knew that it had been because the stories had reminded him too much of the wife who had left him.  
  
He would be so hurt if Sarah were to abandon him just as his first wife had done, and yet maybe he would understand.  
  
Sarah backed out of the room and padded softly back to her own bedroom. She stared at the musical box with the petite figure that spun so gracefully when the music began.  
  
"We can be together."  
  
Hesitantly Sarah's hands reached out to the small key at the back of the box. 


End file.
